Mets meet with prized free agent relief pitcher

The New York Mets have been this offseason’s biggest spender; they threw all caution to the wind and signed Juan Soto to a record-setting 15-year, $765 million contract in their continued bid to take over New York and get over the hump after making it all the way to the NLCS in 2024 and running into the buzzsaw that is the Los Angeles Dodgers. And it doesn’t seem as though the Mets are done making upgrades to their roster.

The Mets might be on their way to adding another piece to their bullpen, as they reportedly have their sights set on veteran relief pitcher Tanner Scott according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Heyman referenced a report from New York Post’s Mike Puma saying that Scott “recently met” with the Mets as they look to “add one more big arm to the bullpen’s back end”.

Scott drew plenty of attention leading up to last year’s trade deadline as a lefty that could potentially swing a pennant race. The Miami Marlins ended up trading Scott to the San Diego Padres and he was as good as advertised, more so in the postseason. In five appearances during the NLDS (4.1 innings of work), Scott did not allow a single run while striking out seven batters.

While the relief-pitcher market has been moving more slowly than anticipated, Scott should still command a hefty contract considering that he’s a shutdown lefty that teams can bring on at the end of games. He has been one of the best relievers in the MLB over the past two seasons. Since the start of the 2023 season, Scott has an ERA of 2.04 in 150.0 innings of work (146 games), striking out 188 while walking 60 to go along with his 34 saves.

Mets are far from done in free agency